The Pitt Panthers are off to a 7-1 start in the 2024-25 season. Pitt is coming off a dramatic 91-90 overtime win over Ohio State on Friday, and that victory vaulted the Panthers into the national rankings this week.
Check out the latest storylines around this team in this week’s Hoops Notebook.
Back in the mix
Pitt checked in at No. 18 in this week’s AP Top 25. This is the Panthers’ first appearance in the poll since being ranked No. 25 late in the 2023 season, and just the second week the program has been ranked since Jeff Capel has been at the helm.
Pitt's No. 18 ranking is the highest for the program since 2014.
Also of note, this is Pitt’s first AP appearance in December since the 2013 season. For the first time in over a decade, Pitt is seemingly on the national radar before conference play ramps up after the New Year.
Nothing bet NET
Ah, yes. Everyone’s favorite metric is here. The NCAA released its initial set of NET rankings on Monday, as Pitt started all the way at No. 5. Only Tennessee, Auburn, Gonzaga, and Duke are currently rated higher, but of course these things change daily.
The NET is the 'new' system used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee. Although, this is now the seventh year the NET has a factor in the sport, and it’s something college basketball fans and pundits have had some questions with over the years.
They are released or updated every morning, and it ultimately becomes a daily habit to check those, especially if a team is ‘on the bubble’ which Pitt has been over the past two seasons. As a refresher, you will see the term: “Quad-1 win, Quad-2 win…etc.” throughout the next few months. This is what defines those things:
Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75
Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135
Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240
Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353
For instance, Pitt’s win over Ohio State will likely be deemed a ‘Quad 1’ win since the Buckeyes will more than likely be a top 75 team this year. The Panthers’ win over LSU could be close, since the Tigers may hover around the top-50 mark and it being a neutral game.
A B1G win
Pitt improved to 5-4 under Jeff Capel in games against opponents from the Big Ten following the victory over Ohio State. In Capel’s first five seasons, Pitt went 3-2 in the now-defunct ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The Panthers split two games with Big Ten teams this season, with a narrow loss to Wisconsin prior to the Ohio State win.
A New Challenge
Pitt’s next game is Wednesday, with a road trip to Starkville, Mississippi. Because college sports are so out of whack these days, the ACC now competes in the SEC-ACC Challenge. Why SEC is listed first is something I’ll never understand…
In any event, this is the second year the ACC-SEC are getting together in a made-for-TV showcase. Pitt lost its inaugural game in the challenge to Missouri last year, which may have actually kept the Panthers out of the NCAA Tournament, oddly enough.
On Wednesday, Pitt will have a tough test. Mississippi State is 6-1 and has made the NCAA Tournament in back to back years. Of course, the Bulldogs 2023 season ended in Dayton with a loss to Pitt in the First Four.
Carrying the weight
Currently, the ACC is 12-28 against other power conference teams as things sit here on December 2nd. The league has played more of those such games (40) than the Big East (22), Big 12 (32), and Big Ten (35) thus far.
The results have not been good, outside of Pitt. The Panthers have gone 3-1 against power-conference teams and own wins over members of the Big 10, Big 12, and SEC to date with another opportunity to grab one on Wednesday against Mississippi State.
Sixth man U?
Pitt senior forward Zack Austin started 31 games a season ago. He has accepted a role off the bench this year, and is thriving in it. Austin leads the ACC with 1.9 blocks per game. He is also averaging 7.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 41.4% from three-point range this season. Austin has produced three double-digit scoring efforts this year so far, and is averaging 11.3 points over his past three games.
Pitt guard Nike Sibande claimed ACC Sixth Man of the Year in 2023, and Ishmael Leggett did the same last year. So far, Austin is starting a nice campaign to getting into that conversation later in the year.
Making ‘em count
Jaland Lowe is second in the ACC with an 89% free-throw percentage through games played this weekend. Lowe has attempted 44, good for third in the league and has made 39 of them. In Pitt’s 91-90 win over the weekend, Lowe was a near-perfect 10-of-11 from the foul line.
As a team, Pitt is shooting 76% from the line, good for fourth in the ACC.
UnGuardly things
There are only two players in the ACC averaging at least 18 points and six rebounds this season: Stanford 7-footer Maxine Raynaud, and Pitt’s 6’3” shooting guard Ishmael Leggett.
Leggett is second on Pitt’s team averaging 6.9 rebounds per game. That number is good for 15th in the ACC as well. Leggett has two double-digit rebounding game this season for the Panthers. Plus, he was the team’s top rebounder a season ago. The Panthers’ senior is also fifth in the ACC in field goal percentage, converting 53% of his shot attempts. Leggett is crafty and does a lot of damage inside, and is willing to give up size and still be productive anyway.
17 minutes
Pitt redshirt freshman center Papa Amadou Kante has played a total of 34 minutes this season: 17 in the team’s first seven games, and then 17 more against Ohio State. Amadou Kante did not necessarily look like a candidate ready for prime minutes in Pitt’s most recent game, but he churned out the best game of his young career.
The Senegal native scored 12 points, had four rebounds, plus an assist, a block, and a steal against the Buckeyes. It was a much needed showing with Panthers’ starting center Cam Corhen on the bench with foul trouble.
Amadou Kante was once a top-100, four-star recruit in the class of 2023. He missed all of last season with an injury, but was also visibly the team’s biggest cheerleader on the sideline all of last year. His energy boost was noticeable against Ohio State, as he is very well liked by his teammates, and I think it lifted the team seeing him go out there and give it his all. Plus the guy that was once a four-star started to poke through as well. It could be a big development if he turns that game into something more consistent.
Making it work
Pitt is going to be without starting guard Damian Dunn for at least a month due to a dislocated thumb he suffered in the Wisconsin game last Sunday, but the team managed to start 1-0 in his prolonged absence. I do not know if there is going to be a defined rotation, or if every game will be different while the Panthers are a little shorthanded.
Capel opted to start freshman wing Amsal Delalic against Ohio State, while keeping Austin in his sixth man role. Both players ultimately played 37 minutes. Freshman guard Brandin Cummings sort of stayed in his normal range, netting only 10 minutes of action.
It still feels like it is mostly going to be a tight rotation as long as Dunn is out of action. Both Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett played 42 minutes against Ohio State, and neither guy is going to be able to come off the floor much in close games for the time being, but I don’t think that’s anything unexpected either.
